Dassault Aviation shares rise after Rafale loss dismissal
Defence Secretary RK Singh refuted reports of multiple Rafale jets lost in Operation Sindoor, affirming heavier losses for Pakistan
Dassault Rafale fighter jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation’s share prices continued to rise on Tuesday (July 8). According to media reports, stocks of the manufacturer of the Rafale jet opened with a marginally higher price of €297.40 on Tuesday. The stock prices of Dassault Aviation closed at €297 on Monday (July 7).
What Defence Secretary said
The share prices started to rise after Defence Secretary RK Singh reportedly dismissed reports claiming that multiple Rafael jets were lost in combat with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The rise in stock prices of Dassault Aviation came after a 3 per cent fall in the last month.
According to a report by CNBC TV-18, the Defence Secretary termed the reports as “inaccurate” adding that it was erroneous to use the term Rafael in the plural.
He also said that the claims were “absolutely not correct”, adding that losses suffered by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor were significantly higher than those suffered by India.
Also Read: Op Sindoor: Defence attache says IAF lost jets due to ‘constraints’; embassy clarifies
Pakistan suffered more losses
He also pointed out that Pakistan lost more than 100 terrorists as India struck nine terror bases in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and mainland Pakistan.
"You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists," Singh was quoted as saying by CNBC TV-18.
He asserted that the Indian armed forces have complete operational autonomy during conflicts.
Also Read: China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales, claims French intelligence
Row over defence attaché’s comment
Controversy erupted after an Indian defence attaché in Indonesia said that the Indian Air Force suffered losses during Operation Sindoor due to restrictions imposed by the political leadership that prevented it from targeting Pakistani military installations. He reportedly said that the Indian Air Force was only allowed to target terror infrastructure.
"We did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence system," he was quoted by Mint as saying.
According to media reports, initially, the stocks of Dassault Aviation attracted strong investor interest following Operation Sindoor. However, despite the latest increase in prices, it is still down by over 4 per cent.